Ditching machine



L.H.LAR5N DITCHING MACHINE Filed, Mar- Feb. 17, 1925.

1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/v VE/V TOR Lou/.5 hf ll/msolv flTToR/VE rs L. H.LARSON' nrrcmxe mbnxua Filed March 1, 192g- 4 Sheesihe'et 4 Feb. 1.7,1.925. 1,526,799

flTTORNEY-S Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

more n. arson, or -;SANTIAGO, MINNESOTA.

nrroHrNeMaoHmn.

Application filed. March 11, 1922. Serial NOFMOJSG.

T allay/20m itmrqz concern Be itlmownthat L'LoUIslI. Larson,

a citizen of the :United Q States, resident of Santiago, county ofSherhurne, State. of M nnesota, have 111vented-certa1n 1183\"52111Cl.

useful Improvements in Ditching Machines, of. i which the following, isa ;sp ecification.

.My. invention relates to. machinesadapted for dig 'ing widening ordeepening open ditches or digging tile trenches, and theprimany objectof: the inventionis to dispense with the heavy,cumbersomeinaohinesofthis type 111 general use and provide onesw l-nchterial on either. do ofi the; ditch-aor wtrench.

Afu1fthe1= iobject is to-provide a: frame; so constructed that it willadapt" ltSElfy to j inequalities of the ground over which; theniachine-lmayi .be moving.

tlon.

part of this specification?- Figure 1. a: plan view of a :ditchingmachine embodying my inventiom its load,

Figure 3 is. a detail sec-tionalwiew.onythc line i of Figure 2,

being indicated by dotted. lines, t

Figure 5 1s a detail vlew, showin-githe boom supporting carriage at thelimit of its travel in one direction,

Figure-6 is a plan view shoW'ing the machinewith the EXtGnSlOllmlllflGkremoved to adapt itgfor tile trenching :Figure: 7. is a frontelevationuof ,thesane, Figures 8 and-9 .are. detailsperspective bemoving, helt frames with the frame 5, allowing freeviews,.showing the.manner of. pivotnlly con necting the: frame rails at. the. corners,

Figure 10.1s adet-ail plan v ewuofthe hoom andhucket operatingmechanism,

Figure. 11 is a. detailsectionalviewshow' ing the means .for automatcally stopping the movement of the boom supporting car- .riage on itstrack.

In the drawings, referring to Figures 1 and 2-,2represents suitableframes having traction belts 3 mounted. therein. These framesiarepivotally"connected atitswith the frame 5 of the naclnnm, WlllCllconsists pret.

erably of I-heanirailsarranged to form a rectangle and having pivotalconnectionsfi at the corners to allow the rails. to; rock or osc llateone upon the other and permit the frame ofgthe-machineto adapt itself toinequalities of the ground over which it may Braces 7 connect thetraction dom of movement of the traction heltframes on their pivots hutholding-them in their ;prop.er relative position. D agonahbraces8.pivotallyconnect-the side rails of the frame with the middle portionofthe rear iails' and-aid in, holding the parts ofzthe frame in;;position.

These braces also sl p.-

port theforward portionofithe deck .or plat ;0ther objects of the.invention will zap pear from .ythe 1 following ideta-iled flClQSQI'lP-form, as shown in; Figure V6.

At the rear of the main frame ,is 1 a iplatformsor deck-9 on which thepower Theinvenl-ion consists-generajlly in va.-- rious;constructionseand-combinations, all L as hereinafter deseribed,and:ipanticularly 1 pointediontiin the claims.

In the accon'lpanyingl .idrawings l forming plant 1 nd operatingmechanism of the machineare mounted. 10 represents a.:suitable "motor,preferably of the internal con'ibustion type. Drive shafts 11' havinguniversal: joints 12 therein arei connected with lLllG HlOlTOl 10. From;these shafts ll drive bolts 13 transmit power through. a

i suitable: differential to the traction helts tl Figaro 2.1sa. sideelevation of, =t-he..-san1e, showing the 1' dipper 111 .posit-ionntodischarge to propel the machine. I do not explain this drivingconnection ,in detail, as it; may be is, applied from the motor to drivethe traction belts. at the rear onhoth sides of the machine.

At the forward end of the deolrt9 lprovide a baseplate 14; having apivot lfi for therear end of a boom; 16 provided with wheel-l7 to. rollon; the surface of illefbflse plate as {the -b00101 is -swunghorizontally fromqisicle totside. 18 represents the; excavat-mg; dipperor. bncket, of any ordinary or preferred construction, having an. arm'19,

a lifting bail 20, and a hinged bottom 21 normally held in its closedposition by the locking device 22, commonly used on dippers of thistype.

The boom has a horizontal extension 23 at its outer end and a cable 24is connected to this extension at 25 and has a running connection withthe bail 20 and from thence passes over a sheave 26 on the boom to adrum 27 mounted preferably near the middle portion of the deck 9 andwhich I prefor to designate as the loading drum. A drive shaft 28 ismounted on the deck 9 and has a belt connection 29 with the motor 10 anda chain drive connection 30 with the drum 27. This shaft operatescontinuously when the motor is in motion, having preferably a frictionstarting clutch 31 and a clutch by means of which the drive chain 30,loosely connected with the shaft 28, may be controlled. A roller 33 ispreferably mounted on the middle portion of the boom for guiding theloading cable past the dipper arm. This cable has the function ofpulling the dipper through the soil to load it, as indicated by thedotted line position of the dipper and cable in Figure 2.

A drum 34, see Figure 3, is mounted in the boom and a cable 35 isattached to the dipper arm and is wound on said drum. A worm gear 36 ismounted on the drum 34 and engages a worm 37 on a rod 38 having anoperating crank 39 by means of which the drum 34 may be revolved to windor unwind the cable 35 and regulate the depth of the drop of the dipper,according to the depth of the ditch that is being dug.

I prefer also to provide sight gauges in connection with this cablecontrolling the drop of the dipper, said gauges comprising bars 40,vertically movable in guides 41 on the boom and having cables 42connected with the drum 34 and wound thereon simultaneously with thecable 35. A series of pins 43 project horizontally from the bars atdifferent elevations, so that the operator of the machine can sight overthese pins to the stakes, having similar pins for convenience insighting, in front of the machine, which -are set out by the engineersto indicate the depth of cut of the ditch to obtain the desired fall andprovide for the flow of water by gravity. By the operation of the wormcontrol, the cable regulating the depth of drop of the dipper and thegauge bars will be simultaneously adjusted and will work in unison inthe operation of the machine.

A raising and lowering cable 44 is attached to the rear of the dipperand extends to a drum 45 that is loosely mounted on its shaft 64 nearthe loading drum 27. This drum has a driving connection 46 with acontinuously operating shaft 47 driven by a chain 4-8 from the driveshaft 28. A similar drum 45 is also loosely mounted on shaft 64 and hasa driving connection 46 with the shaft 47. Operation of these drums iscontrolled by a clutch 49 on the shaft 47 (see Figure 10, where thisclutch is shown in neutral position, with both drum stationary). A cable50 connects the drum 45 with the locking device of the dipper bottom.

I prefer to provide the drums 45 and 45 with lugs 51 and 51 arranged sothat one drum may make one revolution independently of the other drumand then the lugs will come in contact with each other and the seconddrum will be revolved with the first one. By the adjustment of theclutch 49 the drum 45 may be revolved one revolution independently ofthe other drum to trip the dipper bottom, and then moved together, orthe clutch may be moved in the other direction and power transmitted tothe drum 45 to revolve both the drums in the first instance.

I will now proceed to describe the boom supporting track, which formsthe principal part of my invention:

Referring to Figures 1 and 4, reprecents a curved track, mounted at 53011 the forward rail of the main frame and having bolsters 54 seated onthe side rails and secured by suitable means, such as bars 55. Thistrack 52 is preferably of I-beam con struction and a carriage 5G isprovided to slide longitudinally on the upper flange of the track,supported by wheels 57 and guided by suitable means, such as rollers 58.This carriage is free to travel back and forth on the track followingthe curvature thereof and the arc of the circle (of which the pivot ofthe main boom is the center). At each end the track is provided withsafety stops 59. A frame 60 is mounted on the carriage 56 and projectsupwardly therefrom and near its upper end has cross bars 61 adapted toenter notches 62 in the lower edge of the end extension 23 of the boomand form a seat for the boom, the frame 60 supporting the weight of theouter end of the boom and the dipper and transmitting the load thereofto the carriage and the track beneath, thus relieving the opposite endof the machine from the function of counter-balancing the boom andbucket. Usually in machines of this type the rear portion of the machinehas to be made sufliciently heavy or weighted sometimes tocounterbalance the tendency of the outer end of the boom and the bucketto tilt the machine. This naturally throws the weight to the rear andconcentrates it at one point, making it diflicult to move the machineover soft ground and necessitating a heavier structure than is necessaryfor the work to be performed. IVith my machine the boom is supported atboth ends, the rear portion may be made much lighter, and in general theweight of themachine canbe distributed andthe bearing points widelyseparatedso that there is less tendencyof the machine to: sink into softground. a a

The use of: the carria 'e su ortin the a PP g outer end ofthe boomenables me tomount.

the track down close to the frame of the-ma:

chine Where it is unnecessary tovbracei it against racklng and itWlStlll g i to the a extent that would be necessary if the track wereraised to a; point opposite the normal position ofthe outer end of theboom. Furthermore, the use of thecarriage permits tilting of the machineframe on uneven ground without affecting the IHOVQDTGDt OZEitlIQ boom tothe extent that it i would be if the track were raised.

I prefer to provide two supporting bars 61 so thatthe elevation [oftheboonrcan be changed slightly, if desired, and thesheave 26 is madeadjustable in the boom, as indi-V a point outside the frame of themachine,

as, indicated by dotted lines in; Figure 1,

where it will be noted the bucket or dipper and boom are indicatedbyfu'll lines in the middle of the figure, 4 while a in dotted lines a thedumping position ofthe bucket is 1nd1-.

cated either to the right orleft of thema chine frame.

i For oscillating the boom and bucket to these a dumping positions, I aprovide drums 63 and 63 keyed tothe shaft 64 onwhich the drums45 and 45are loosely mounted. Cables 65 and65 are connected withthe drums 63 and63, the former forswinging the boom to the left and the latter forswinging it to the right. The cables are oppositely woundton the drums,as shown plainly in Figures land 10.

For operating these drums I prefer to provide the followingdescribedmechanism:

Referringto Figure 1l,a gear 66 is mounted on the drum 63. A pinion67flS secured on a SllflftjGS' and'meshes with the gear 66 to revolvethe drums 63 and 63 when power is. applied to said vshaft. gear 69 ismounted on the shaft-Hand pinions 70 and 70? are loosely mounted-on saidshaft and mesh with the gear-69' uponopposite sides of the shaft 47.Clutches 71 and 71 are provided forvr-locking the pinions 70 and TOealternately on the shaft 68. Asliding rod 72: is placedbetweentheclutches 71 and 71? so that when one is moved into its clutchingposition, the other is disengagedreversing the dil'GOtlOUuOf movement ofthe shaft GS -and tl'iedrums 63-and 63M107 wind or-unwind the cables.Clutch arms 73" and 7 ti a-re providedand rods Hand 74 con nect theseclutch arms with arms 7 5 and 7 5 mounted on shaft/s76 and 7.6 on theforward portion of the deck 9,. These shafts extend transversely of, thelmachine' and are a provided with operating-hand levers 7 7 and'77 bymeans of which the operatorof the machine-can control the direction ofrevolu tion of the drums63 and63 It isdesirable in machinesof thistypeto provide means for automatically operating theclutches 71 and 71to stop the boom when itreaches a pointjnear the end iofits I thereforeprovide supporting track. cables 7 8 and? 8211110- formerconnected withthe arm and theqlatter with the lever77.

These cables extend forwardly to-bell cranks 79'and 79flmounted on theunderside o-fthe track 52; and connected by links 80 with trip,

levers 81 and i 81 which project upwardly into the path ofa bracket 82,on the frame 60530 that when-"the carriage reaches a predetermined pointin its inovemchton the track this bracket will engage one of the triplevers and act-uateitto shift the clutch 1nembers 71;and 71 and stop thedrums63 and'63 The cables "65 and 65 engage the sheaves 83 011 aaslidingbar 841 mounted at the forward portion of the deck and haverunningconnectionswith sheaves 85; 86 and" 87 mfounted on the end"portions ofthe curved track, and from thence past to sheaves SS and areconnected atS9-tol the forward middle portion of the carriage, formoving it and the boom supported thereby baclcand forth on the track asthe cables1 arci wound andunwound on the drums. Thus theoperator of themachinemay, by the manipulation of thehand levers, control the lateralmovement ofthebooni-supporting carriage or hemay allow the outermovement to be automaticallycontrolled by thewtrip'levers and theirconnections with the drum controlling clutches.

In Figure 6 I have shown a machine adapted} for digging 'tile trenches,or those. where a tile is laid in the excavation and then coveredusually, as distinguished from the Wider open ditches in the digging ofwhich the machine with the curved supporting track is used.- Theoperation of the apparatus shown in Figures Sand 7 is substantiallythesame as described with ref erence to the other figures, the curvedtrack being removed and the carriage supporting the'boom resting andsliding upon the forward rail of the machine frame. hen the machine isused in thisway, the bucket is preferably unloaded (ii-discharged oneither side of thenarrow tile trench, as: indicated by dotted lines inFigure 6..andthere is sufficient, room between the side :railsof theframe to unload the bucket, as itis not necessary to deposit theexcavated material outside the frame, and hence the use of the track forguiding the carriage to a point beyond the sides of the frame isunnecessary. In other words, in digging narrow or tile trenches, thecurved track may be omitted, the forward portion of the boom beingcarried directly upon the frame of the machine, while in wide ditches,usually those of the open type, there is no room inside the frame todeposit the excavated material, and hence the use of the track extendingbeyond the frame is desirable.

The forward traction supports of the main frame form the guiding means,and to oscillate these supports on a vertical axis to steer the machine,I provide a bar 90 mounted to slide transversely of the machine inguides 91 and connected by rods 92 with the forward portions of thetraction belt frames. Cables 98 and 93 are connected to the ends of thebar 90 and pass around sheaves 9f on the machine frame to a steeringpost and lever 95 mounted on the forward portion of the deck 9. (SeeFigures 1 and 6.) A bar 96 mounted to slide transversely of the deck 9is connected by rods 97 with the frames of the rear traction belts, andone end of this bar has a rack 98 meshing with a pinion 99 on a steeringpost and lever 100, also mounted on the forward portion of the deck 9,so that the operator of the machine can easily and quickly oscillate therear supporting tractors to assist the guiding of the machine.

The sliding bar 84 and the sheaves engaging the cables and 65 have thefunction of guiding these cables back and forth on their respectivedrums, the bar 8 f moving transversely of the machine and being actuatedthrough a belt 84 and screw 84? from the drum 63. (See Figure 1.)

I claim as my invention:

1. A ditching machine comprising a frame, a boom mounted at one endthereon, a track having bearings on said frame and extendingtransversely thereof adjacent the rails of said frame whereby said trackis rendered more stable and bracing is avoided, a carriage mounted onsaid track on a level with the lower portion of said boom, means mountedon said carriage and projecting upwardly therefrom and having a supportfor the upper end of said boom, and means for moving said carriage onsaid track from side to side of said frame.

2. A ditching machine comprising a frame, a boom mounted to swinglaterally thereon, an excavating bucket carried by said boom, a carriagehaving a support for the upper end of said boom, a track arrangedtransversely of said frame and having end sections projecting outwardlybeyond the side rails of said frame a sufiicient distance to allow saidcarriage to be moved outwardly 011 said track to points outside the siderails of said frame and said excavating buckets to be discharged of itscontents in the space between said frame and the end sections of saidtrack.

3. A ditching machine comprising a frame, a boom mounted to swinglaterally thereon, an excavating bucket carried by said boom, a carriagehaving a support for the upper end of said boom, a track for saidcarriage arranged transversely of said frame and having end sectionsprojecting outwardly beyond the side rails of said frame a suflicientdistance to allow said carriage to be moved outwardly on said track topoints outside the side rails of said frame and said excavating bucketto be discharged of its contents in the space between said frame and theend sections of said track, said track and carriage being located on alevel with the lower port-ion of said boom and adapted to support theupper or outer end thereof.

4. The combination, with a rectangular frame having supporting tractionmeans at the corners thereof, of a boom mounted at one end on the rearportion of said frame and overhanging the forward portion to swinglaterally, a curved track removably mounted on the forward portion ofsaid frame, on a level with the lower portion of said boom, a carriageto travel on said track having upwardly projecting means for supportingthe forward end of said boom, said carriage when said track is removedbeing adapted to run on the forward rail of said frame, and anexcavating bucket carried by said boom.

5. In a ditching machine, a frame, a boom supported on the rear of saidframe, an excavating bucket carried by said boom, a carriage mounted onthe forward portion of said frame for lateral movement thereon, a frameprojecting upwardly from said can riage and having a seat thereon toreceiy'e and support the forward end of said boom, said boom beingmounted for vertical adjustment on said carriage frame.

6. A ditching machine comprising a frame, rectangular substantially inform, and having a deck at its rear end and a curved track at theforward end of said frame projecting laterally beyond the side railsthereof, a carriage mounted to travel on said track and a boom supportedat its rear end on said deck and having its forward end supported bysaid carriage to move laterally therewith, and an excavating bucketcarried by said boom, said track being removable from said frame toallow said carriage to be supported and operated on the forward rail ofsaid frame.

7. A machine of the class described comprising a frame, a curved trackmounted on one end of said frame and having its ends extending outwardlybeyond the side rails lUu iii)

of said frame, a carriage mounted to move back and forth on said trackand having an upwardly projecting frame, cables attached to the lowerportion of said carriage and having running connections with the outerends of said track, drums whereon said cables are wound for moving saidcarriage back and forth on said track, a boom mounted at one end on saidframe and having its opposite end supported by the upwardly projectingframe of said carriage, and an excavating arm and bucket mounted in saidboom, said carriage, boom, and bucket being moved to bucket dischargingpoints outside said machine frame upon opposite sides thereof.

8. A ditching machine comprising a frame, aboom mounted at one endthereon, a curved track supported on the forward portion of saidframe011 a level with the lower portion of said boom, a carriage com "prisingrails having wheels to rest and travel on said track, a frame supportedby said carriage rails and projecting upwardly therefrom, and havingmeans connected with said carriage, and with a source of power formoving said carriage forward and backward on said track, and anexcavating bucket supported by said boom.

9. A ditching machine comprising a frame, a boom mounted at one endthereon, a track mounted on said frame and extending from side to sidethereof, a carriage having antifriction hearings on said track andmovable thereon from one side of the machine to the other, said carriagebeing on :1 level with the lower portion of said boom, means mounted onsaid carriage and projecting upwardly therefrom and having a support forthe upper end of said boom, and means for moving said carriage on saidtrack from side to side of said frame.

10. A ditching machine comprising a frame, a boom mounted at one endthereon, a track provided at the other end of said frame, a carriagemounted totravel on said track on a level with the lower portion of saidboom, means for moving said carriage forward and backward on said track,a frame projecting upwardly from said earriage, cross-bars mounted insaid frame upon different levels, and adapted to s p port the upper endof said boom, and for changing the vertical adjustment of said boom onsaid frame, and an excavating bucket mounted in said boom.

11. A ditching machine comprising a frame, a boom mounted at one endthereon, a track mounted on said frame, a carriage having bearings onsaid track 0 posite and on a level with the lower portion of said boom,means for moving said carriage for"- ward and backward on said track,levers for controlling the operation of said moving means, a framemounted on said carriage and projecting upwardly therefrom and having asupport at its upper end for the outer end of said boom, a bracketmounted on the lower portion of said frame in position to engage andactuate said levers when said carriage reaches a predetermined point onsaid track, and an excavating bucket mounted in said boom.

12. A, ditching machine comprising a frame having side and end rails, aboom mounted at one end on the rear port on of said frame, a curvedtrack mounted on the forward rail of said frame and having bolstersseated on said side rails and secured thereto, said track being in theform of an I-beam and a carriage having wheels toslide on the upperflange of said beam and provided with suitable guiding rollers, meansfor moving said carriage forward and backward on said track, a framemounted on said carriage and projecting upwardly therefrom and whereonthe upper end of said boom is seated, and an excavating bucket carriedby said boom.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day ofFebruary, 1922.

LOUIS H. LARSON.

